At the start of what is predicted to be a devastating hurricane season, Canada is providing support to the Caribbean Region in the wake of Hurricane Beryl.
The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, on 9 July announced that Canada is providing over $1 million in humanitarian assistance funding in response to the devastation caused by the hurricane. This funding will allow Canada’s humanitarian partners to provide life-saving assistance, such as emergency food and nutrition services, protection and logistics services, and to ensure that humanitarian goods are dispatched and that humanitarian workers continue to be able to respond to the crisis in the face of daunting challenges.
Of this amount, $500,000 will be allocated to the World Food Programme (WFP) for emergency food assistance and logistics services. As part of a Government of Canada project with the Canadian Red Cross Society’s Emergency Disaster Assistance Fund, $160,000 will be allocated to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies relief operations in response to its appeal for St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Jamaica. In addition, Canada is also deploying essential relief items to the Jamaica Red Cross valued at up to $350,000.
Minister Hussen also announced that Canada is allocating $200,000 to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) for the mobilisation of regional deployment teams and provision of direct support of countries requiring immediate response. Through the Build Back Equal project, Canada is contributing to UN Women and UN Population Fund efforts to distribute hygiene and dignity product kits in Grenada and in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
In addition, Canada is supporting emergency humanitarian personnel deployment on the ground in the Caribbean, including through funding provided to United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination and the Canadian Red Cross. Canada is also supporting the region’s preparations for major disasters before they happen through the WFP’s Resilience and Enhanced Adaptability to Disasters in the Caribbean project. The WFP, in collaboration with response organizations including the CDEMA, is actively involved in preparedness actions to ensure that the international community is ready and able to support impacted people and the governments that support them.
With climate-related natural disasters on the rise and global warming leading to an increase in tropical storms, Canada is prepared to support people affected by severe weather crises. Canada is committed to working with partners around the world on global environmental sustainability and emergency preparedness to ensure a safer future for all.
High Commission of Canada, Barbados
